Double Stroller - Phil & Ted Vs. Contours Options

Hi M.,

I has been 3 years since I needed our double stroller(we had twins) but we bought a Cosco double stroller. It folds like a Graco just a little bigger but not very heavy. It was nice because the girls could face each other or one infront of the other. It also rolled easy. Hope this might help.
Good luck, L.

We got a Phil and Ted's with our 1st two years ago. We love it!!! We live in an older neighborhood, so it is especially great on all the old, bumpy sidewalks. We've been using it as a single so far, but in a couple of months, we're having our 2nd, so then we'll start using the double function.

the contour has a major downfall when it comes to closing it... you have to take the seat OFF to close it ( who wants to do that in the cold, snow, or rain) and also the footrest on them is very close together we looked at this stroller when my son was 12mth and i was due 3mths later and his feet were already over the footrest. but i would still say to go lookat it first.. We ended up getting the Graco quad.tour duo stroller and i LOVE it.. hope this helps

We bought the Phil & Ted's when I was pregnant with our second and I wish we had gotten it for our first- instead of a junky travel system. It is a fantastic stroller; the maneuverability it great and it is compact for a double. I now have a 1 year old and a 3 year old and I can confidently say that they both like riding in the stroller. Sometimes my 3 year old sits in the back; other times, he wants to be in front. A friend of mine has the Contours double and I think she likes it, but she said that it is very big/clunky.

we've had a phil & ted's for almost a year now and we absolutely love it. yeah it's expensive but for us it was so worth it, it's easy to lift, easy to set up and it moves like a dream.

I owe the Kolcraft Contours options stroller. I bought it for my 2 year old daughter (26 pounds) and newborn daughter. Well have not had a chance to use it with the newborn but did use it while pregnant with a 30+ pound 2 year old and my own 2 year old and I have also used it for my 2 year old and 4 year old (48 pounds) He is technically too big for it and we have decided that he will not ride again as he was pushing the seat to recline without unlocking it! Almost broke it the first week! But when I pushed them all in it I could barely tell the difference in pushing the 2 2 year olds or the 2 year old and 4 year old. It rolls like a dream. It turns very nicely. It does FEEL big but it really is nice to drive. Has nice basket space. The seats are a little tricky to recline in certain positions as they do hit each other. But thats ok. Not gonna be reclining them much together. I plan to use the carseat adapter soon so it won't matter. I will say it is a little difficult to find a carseat to match the pretty red of this stroller but my husband took care of that by buying a car seat that doesn't even come CLOSE to matching it. LOL. It has brown and blue and teddy bears. LOL. Pushing this was awesome while I was pregnant and I can't wait to use it after but have to recover first. Folding it was difficult while pregnant but my husband handled that. OH and despite what most people say It DOES fit in a car trunk. You just have to be creative about it. LOL. We own a Saturn Sl 1 and when you take both seats off and put the stroller frame in first then the seats on top it does fit on our trunk. I don't think the fact that its heavy is a bad thing. It tells me that the frame is good quality. its not gonna fall apart on me. We did have a problem with the front wheel falling off the first few times we unfolded it BUT that was only because my husband didn't get it tight enough. Now it is and have not had a problem. I look forward to using this stroller again in about 2 weeks. Can't wait. talk laterz.

I can't speak for the Phil & Ted's, but I LOVE my Contours Options. I am a daycare provider and the kids love it too! It is pretty heavy, but I don't transport mine...just leave it in the garage. I love being able to reverse the seats if I need to. The kids love being able to sit facing each other. Another awesome thing is that the Options has handles on the side for other kids to hold on to - not sure if that's something that's important to you - but it comes in handy when we need to cross the street. It is a VERY smooth riding and turning stroller, much better than the Graco I had before.

I did six months of research before I decided an the Phil and Ted Sport. I love the Phil and Ted. It is easy to push, turn and fold up. I have traveled with it to Las Vegas where my mother lives. Great in the airport and shopping malls becasue it is narrow and shorter in length. The other thing I love is that when you are done with it resale of the Phil and Ted is easy and you can get great money for it. We go out a lot and there are more and more people going to the Phil and Ted even if they only have one child. Plus it is fairly light. Hope this helps!

We have had the Phil & Ted for nearly two years and have absolutely loved it. It is so compact compared to other dual strollers and moves so easily in tight areas. Also, the air tires make it very practicle off road or on bumpy sidewalks (which are the case where we live). Our kids are twenty months apart and I am due with our third in two months and plan on using it for another through the third.

That being said, here are what I would characterize the drawbacks:

We have traveled with it extensively and successfully, but it doesn't fold up as easily as some of the others (especially when you use the travel bag) which we have.

I concur with some of the comments about height, but we had that issue with most if not all the other strollers. The P&T stroller has two positions, one which makes it easier with our height (6 ft) but isn't as conducive to having the cupholders.

For us, the basket was never an issue.

From a customer service standpoint, we blew a tire and had some damage from the airlines. The distributor shipped the parts out overnight with no charge.

From a pricing perspective, I have seen several instances where people have gotten great deals on Ebay.

Good luck - I would pick the Phil & Teds

I only sell the P&T Sport and the Vibe, so those are the ones I know best. All I can say is that I've been so happy with the quality and the service from P&T, that I would highly recommend any of their products.

That's my store owner answer. As a mom, I have to say, you spend a lot of time with your stroller, and a heavy one is a real pain. I'd think of it as dollars per month of lifting an irritatingly heavily stroller into the car. Plus, P&T is a better known brand, so you'll have an easier time ebaying it when you're done. Make an investment.

T.
SimplyforGiggles.com

Hi M.--

I bought a Phil & Ted's based on a friend's recommendation and absolutely LOVE it! It is more expensive, but I love the fact that once my 2 1/2 year old doesn't want to "ride" anymore, we can convert it back to a single stroller. My husband appreciates that it is more masculine looking, and I love how easy it is to steer - even one-handed holding a baby!

My only complaint is the smaller storage basket and how inaccessible it is with two in the stroller, but I do really like that fact that my almost 3 month old can sit in the rear seat already - it reclines just enough that it supports her head!

Good luck with your choice!

we have phil & ted's and love it, too. almost all our other kid stuff is hand-me-downs so we splurged and bought the good stroller. i figured i'm going to be pushing two kids around for a long time, i may as well enjoy it.

why i love it
it's cool looking and super compact
it's easy to fold.
it is light on it's air filled tires and easy to maneuver.
my 3 year old says "mom, it's a smooth ride."

complaints
we got a flat tire on a walk- so the air tires are nice, but i wasn't prepared for a flat!
the handle bars are a little short for me and my tall husband.
i wish the basket underneath was more accessible when the kids are in the stroller